


Missing Her

by ohitsthatchumlord



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Communication, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Insecurity, POV Marceline, Self-Worth Issues, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28701258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohitsthatchumlord/pseuds/ohitsthatchumlord
Summary: Marceline returns from a trip to the Night-O-Sphere and becomes insecure when Bonnie doesn't immediately welcome her home.
Relationships: Princess Bubblegum/Marceline
Comments: 5
Kudos: 90





	Missing Her

**Author's Note:**

> I think I wrote this a few months ago on my phone while on break from work, so figured I would finally edit it on my laptop. Anyway, Marceline is canonically pretty insecure so I wanted to explore that. This is a little less fleshed out than I'd like, given the dialogue to exposition ratio is way less than I usually do, but I'm trying to be less of a perfectionist so I actually upload works.

Marceline throws her arms wide as she opens the lab doors to bellow, “Gum-gum, I’m back!”

“AH,” Bubblegum shouts, visibly startled. She turns around with a downturned expression, “Marceline, you scared me.”

The centuries old vampire scratches her neck, “Hehe, sorry Bonnie.”

“Just-” there’s a pregnant pause, “don’t sneak up on me like that,” she says sternly, almost dismissive.

The brunette frowns, “Aren’t you happy I’m back?” Her lackadaisical demeanor shifts, and her posture stiffens.

“Of course, I am,” She doesn’t turn around, “but I’m in the middle of an important experiment right now and I can’t afford distractions.”

“So, what, I’m a distraction to you?” Marceline sounds defensive, hurt.

The scientist turns around, glancing back at the vampire floating near the doorframe, “Not _a_ distraction, just very _distracting_.” She emphasizes gently but then focuses her gaze back on the various glassware and chemicals. “This is a time and temperature sensitive chemical reaction, and I can’t leave it alone.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine for 5 minutes,” Marceline reasons.

“Maybe,” the pink-haired woman considers, but then more firmly says, “but I can’t risk it. Part of the solid I’m trying to isolate is incredibly soluble, so If I leave it alone it could go back into solution.”

Marceline’s expression tightens as she turns this information over in her mind. She tries to think of a compromise where Bonnie can welcome her home but still finish her experiment. Eventually, she leads with, “You already have some now, can’t you just collect that?” Her pout goes unnoticed by the busy royal.

“No, I’m trying to get as much yield as I can from this batch because the starting materials are really rare, and I don’t think I’ll be able to acquire them again. And the solid itself is really volatile so it could easily form unwanted compounds if it’s exposed to water or air for long periods of time, so I can’t store it as is,” she explains.

As much as Marceline understands about chemistry, which is not much, it seems like Bonnie plans to finish her experiment and ignore her for the time being. “Ughh, that sounds so boring. Why are you even working so hard on it? What’s so important about it?” Marcy huffs.

“It just _is_ , okay?” she defends avidly then, “Oh no, the temperature is starting to rise. I need fresh ice.” The Princess scrambles around her workstation, grabbing a beaker filled with partially melted ice and meticulously transfers a few pieces to another beaker with a pair of tongs. Once her task is completed, the woman in geeky-looking goggles and a white lab coat states in a placating tone, “Marceline, I need to focus right now, can we please do this later? I’ll be done in a few more hours, then you will have my full attention.”

“Fine,” Marceline grouses before floating away while mumbling bitterly, “I thought your _girlfriend_ would be more important than some dumb experiment, but I guess I was wrong.”

…

Marceline waits on the Princess’ bed, glaring at the ceiling, searching over the familiar dips and valleys in the irregularly textured surface. Every few moments Marceline feels a frustrated jolt run up her spine when she remembers Bubblegum’s harsh tone. Her arms tense where they lay splayed out beside her.

The vampire queen _knows_ Bonnie didn’t mean it like that. _Knows_ her girlfriend would never dismiss her like that permanently, but she can’t help the feeling of frustrated despair crawling up her throat. She _hates_ feeling insecure about Bonnie’s and her relationship because it’s always unfounded. Yet, when Marceline’s already in an emotional state, she typically ends up dwelling on the lonely decades they spent apart, how miserable, and heartbroken she felt. The decades where Marcy could only blame herself for the way Bubblegum distanced herself after their falling out. Marceline bites her lip, trying to hold back frustrated tears from falling.

After they got together, Bonnie had apologized, had said she felt just as guilty, said her hostile behavior after their time apart was to protect herself from the hurt. While Marceline spent years wallowing in her rickety cave house, eventually resorting to acts of mischief to distract herself, Bubblegum had learned to shove her hurt feelings down so she could run her Kingdom. Bonnie admitted that she had overworked herself for years, obsessively stressed herself out trying to micromanage her entire Kingdom. And maybe PB’s behavior wasn’t all related to her feelings about her lost friendship with Marceline, but the distraction did help her get through the years.

So, Marceline _knows_ Bonnie would never send her away again would _never_ let them fall apart like they did in the past, but the worry is always there, given their torrential history.

Marceline curls up in a ball and tries to calm herself down. She shouldn’t be mad at Bonnie; her work is important, and Marceline shouldn’t be immature about it. And yet, her anxieties remain at the forefront of her thoughts.

…

Eventually, the half-asleep curled figure shifts on the bed when she hears approaching footsteps of Bonnibel finally retiring to their bedroom.

“Hey,” the upright woman greets softly. Marceline tilts her head up in acknowledgement but remains in a physically protective position despite the fact it will do nothing against emotional blows. 

“Hey,” she returns groggily. Bonnie sits on the bed beside her, reaching a pink hand down to brush the hair from her cheek.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” and yet she attempts to curl deeper into her previously amassed blanket cocoon.

“Marce.” Bubblegum strokes her back idly.

“I’m fine,” she asserts. “I shouldn’t even be upset, I’m overreacting.” Then, Bonnie sways down and presses a kiss to her temple before leaning back to respect her space.

“Your feelings matter, Marcy.” Her soft tone is assuring but Marceline can only hum in response. “Is this about earlier? I’m sorry if I made you upset.”

“It’s fine, I shouldn’t have been pushy.” Bonnie crawls up the mattress, adjusting herself against the headboard.

“Marcy, come here.” She says it softly, but there’s an edge of sternness to it that brokers no argument.

And so, she sits up, blinks the tears out of her eyes and shuffles awkwardly to Bonnie’s outheld arms. She settles with her ear against the Princess’ chest and collar bone. Almost immediately, Bonnie begins carding her fingers soothingly through her hair. “Marce, you know I can’t abandon my other responsibilities just because you ask, no matter how much I want to, right?”

“I know, and you shouldn’t. I was just excited to be home, excited to see you.” Marceline chews on her bottom lip.

The Princess tightens her hold and nuzzles into her hair to breathe out, “I missed you too, so much.” Afterwards, she shifts back and instead rests her cheek on her lover’s scalp while continuing to cradle her closer. “But there’s something else?”

Marceline sighs. Bonnie had always been perceptive. “Yeah. . .” she trails off but is encouraged to continue by a gentle caress against her jaw. In one breathe she gets out, “Yeah, I was just gone for a while, and my dad said some things about us before I left that upset me, and I was overthinking too much, so, I was already sensitive when I came home.”

It’s almost imperceptible, but Marceline feels the small flinch her girlfriend elicits when she finishes explaining why she’s so upset. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize, I-I’m sorry.”

She attempts to apologize with her body as well, the brunette notices, as Bonnie pulls her into a stifling embrace. Marceline melts into it, “It’s fine,” she assures. “you were busy doing important things for your Kingdom.”

It takes her some time to respond. “I wasn’t,” the Princess admits quietly.

“What?” she strains her neck to look at the pink-haired woman. Her guilty expression is more than noticeable.

Before the vampire can draw into herself again, Bonnie frantically clarifies, “I was making something for you.”

“Oh,” she feels detached but more stable than she was before.

“Yeah, it was supposed to be a surprise, for our anniversary.”

Then Marceline deflates entirely, “Oh.” She buries her gradually heating face into her lover’s neck, clutching her close, “I’m sorry.”

“Shh, its okay. What’s wrong this time, I thought you’d be happy.”

“I am happy,” Marceline states, “but I’m also mad at myself. You were doing something nice for me and all I could do was be selfish and whiny that you weren’t paying me any attention.”

“I like that you’re whiny and demanding. I hate that you feel insecure, but I don’t mind when you act immature around me.”

This reasoning baffles Marceline, why would anyone prefer her irrational and anxiety-driven behavior? And so, she asks, “What? Why?”

“Because it means that you want me as much as I want you and I like seeing it.” Bonnie stiffens and then is quick to correct herself, “I meant, the fact that you seek my attention, not when it makes you insecure.”

Marceline sighs, “Oh.”

Her girlfriend snorts, “Can I get more than ‘Oh’?”

“What do you want me to do swoon and say, ‘Oh Bonnie, take me now’?” she jokes flippantly.

The grin stretching across her face allows the tip of her fangs to show. Bonnie returns the expression and pokes one, “Now that I think about it,” she tugs lightly on the brunette’s hair to kiss the corner of her lips where her fang peaks out, and continues, “yeah, I do.”

Marceline squeaks and her skin takes on a darker hue where her gray skin flushes.

“Well, I’m waiting.” Bonnie smirks at her.

The vampire sputters out, “Glob, how can you just _say_ stuff like that? I thought you were a prude.”

“What” I can’t hit on a gorgeous woman, who’s currently in my bed, in _my lap_?” she snickers.

“Only if she’s your _girlfriend_.” Marceline returns.

“Luckily, she _is_. So, what’s the problem?”

“Nothing, there’s no problem.”

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, wish I could write something where there didn't need to be Hurt before the comfort, but I guess I'm just not built like that. 
> 
> Also wow, love that I can't keep my indenting consistent from fic to fic.


End file.
